Roads are more than just tarmac and road markings. They are living spaces, meeting places, hubs of activity – and often problem areas too. Anyone discussing sustainable cities should therefore also rethink mobility spaces: not as thoroughfares, but as places where people enjoy spending time.

An interview with transport planners Martin Berger and Jonathan Fetka

Martin Berger and Jonathan Fetka explain how this transformation can be achieved in practice and what is needed to turn car-dominated areas into vibrant urban spaces. The two experts from the Transport Systems Planning (MOVE) research group at Vienna University of Technology examine, in both theory and practice, the demands placed on road space and how these are negotiated; they answered a few questions to mark the publication of a volume on the subject of mobility spaces. It is clear that the transformation of mobility spaces is not a technical issue, but a discourse that affects society as a whole.

Mr Berger, Mr Fetka, what exactly is a mobility area?

By ‘mobility space’, we mean, for example, a street or a square where it is not just cars travelling from A to B as efficiently and quickly as possible, but where a far wider range of needs are accommodated. From a child on their way to school, to a wheelchair user out shopping, from neighbours having a natter to shop displays: streets and squares must reconcile diverse, and sometimes conflicting, demands for their use. In short: just as cities functioned before the dominance of the car, a mobility space should make room for a variety of needs.

As transport planners, what are your hopes, and what do people want from such spaces?

In the past, the repurposing of car parks was a frequent source of conflict, but this is hardly the case today. People want – partly because of the heat – more green spaces, more trees, more water features and more areas where they can spend time. This is shown by numerous surveys conducted among both residents and business owners. Support has even grown over the years as people have experienced the changes first-hand: once the redevelopment is complete, an overwhelming majority are usually convinced of its benefits. 

In our book, we provide examples of how the redesign of public spaces can succeed in promoting active forms of mobility and improving the quality of the built environment. This requires political courage, as these processes are diverse and unique, and often encounter resistance. It is precisely this courage – alongside openness and perseverance – that we hope to see in transformative processes. 

In your opinion, where has the transformation worked best, and why? 

There is no set formula or simple recipe for this, because there are many questions to be answered: Where is the project located? What is the current situation in terms of space, design and transport? What resources are available? Who is involved and who is affected? What support and what resistance are there? All these questions, and others besides, are what make a project unique. Our book shows how innovative and creative solutions have been found in various situations.

And in times of tight budgets, how can you manage on a shoestring?

The gold standard is often not even necessary! With tactical urbanism, even on tighter budgets, temporary and experimental measures can be implemented gradually – for example, through pop-up cycle lanes, planters, benches, green parklets or temporary road markings. This allows the public to quickly experience initial improvements in quality of life. In this way, projects can be launched, ideas tested and even made permanent. Furthermore, partnerships with local initiatives, residents or business owners can help with tasks such as installing street furniture or watering trees. 

Which place should we tackle next?

Today, it is no longer about the next individual project, but about making a big impact: the increasing heat stress calls for large-scale action and rapid implementation – and not always in accordance with the ‘gold standard’. In some cases, suitable, cross-cutting planning strategies are still lacking.
If we were to pick a single project: Vienna is already very active in urban regeneration, as demonstrated by Argentinierstraße, for example. The regeneration of the Gürtel would be particularly exciting as a bold but necessary step, given that many people vulnerable to heat live in this area. This presents a real opportunity for another flagship project.  

• Jonathan Fetka conducts research and teaches in the research area Verkehrssystemplanung (MOVE) at TU Wien.
• Martin Berger is professor in theVerkehrssystemplanung (MOVE) at TU Wien and head of the transport planning consultancy „yVerkehrsplanung“. 

Interview: Edith Wildmann, TUW-Editorial Team
redaktion@tuwien.ac.at

Book recommendations:

• Current: Aglaée Degros / Martin Berger / Eva Schwab / Sabine Bauer / Jonathan Fetka / Dominik Hölzl / Barbara Russo (eds.): COURAGE Transformation von Mobilitätsräumen. Prozesse, Akteure und Gestaltung / Transformation of Mobility Spaces. Process, Actors, and Design
  With contributions by Sabine Bauer, Stefan Bendiks, Martin Berger, Johannes Bernsteiner, Aglaée Degros, Jonathan Fetka, Gunnar Grandel, Dominik Hölzl, Christopher Mavrič, Markus Monsberger, Barbara Russo, Eva Schwab, Mimi Sheller, Filip Watteeuw.
  Projects analysed: Community Centre (Göfis, AT), Piazze Aperte (Milan, IT), Lyssplus (Lyss, CH), ÖRMI (Karlsruhe, DE), Bergmannkiez Neighbourhood Block (Berlin, DE), Promenadenring (St. Pölten, AT), Park Belle-Vue (Leuven, BE), Südlicher Lendplatz (Graz, AT), Catharijnesingel (Utrecht, NL), Argentinierstraße (Vienna, AT), Good Move Pentagon (Brussels, BE), Car-Free City Centre (Ljubljana, SLO).
• Jonathan Fetka & Martin Berger: Praxishandbuch Transformation öffentlicher Mobilitätsräume (german, open access link)